Communications Manager

Position Status: Communications Manager

Vacancies: 1

Supervisor(s): Co-Executive Director as primary supervisor, with the Chief of Party as secondary supervisor.

Location: Washington, DC

Salary: Determined by Collective Bargaining Agreement. PartnersGlobal offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

This position is in-person and is based in Washington, D.C. and employees must be based in or near Washington, D.C. for the tenure of their employment. This position is covered under a Collective Bargaining Agreement between PartnersGlobal and the Office and Professional Employees International Union, Local 2, AFL-CIO.

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND:

PartnersGlobal (previously Partners for Democratic Change), established in 1989, is an international, non-governmental organization committed to building sustainable capacity to advance democratic institutions, civil society, and a culture of peaceful change and conflict management worldwide. PartnersGlobal specializes in organizational development and social entrepreneurship, having provided the seed capital and technical assistance to establish 21 independent, local Centers around the world.

PartnersGlobal adheres to the values of participatory decision-making, collaboration, and consensus-building as the fundamentals of an inclusive, democratic society; and we promote the application of these skills in all aspects of our work. The PartnersGlobal team includes process and technical experts, facilitators, and trainers who apply those collaborative skills to achieve concrete results in technical areas such as rule of law development, women’s empowerment, security sector reform, and natural resource management. Our network of local Centers is renowned for undertaking cutting edge work and applying our process expertise to convene disparate parties to jointly tackle some of the most complex development challenges.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

PartnersGlobal is seeking an experienced Communications Manager (CM) with demonstrable experience using conflict-sensitive storytelling to lead strategic communications for the organization. The CM will report jointly to the Co-Executive Director (ED) overseeing organizational communications and the Chief of Party of the flagship Powered by the People (PxP) activity. The CM will oversee the design and implementation of both internal and external communication strategies. Their duties involve managing external communication channels including social media platforms, website, media relations, writing copy for information products and adhering to the organizational brand by publishing content and marketing materials. They are also responsible to standardize and improve the communication efforts of the organization, in partnership with EDs and Directors.

Duties will be split between organization-wide communications and targeted support to the flagship five-year $45M Powered by the People program that provides direct and accessible support addressing needs, opportunities, and challenges identified by activists and other allied civic actors engaged in nonviolent collective action. Messaging will emphasize strengthening the agency, resiliency, and efficacy of activists and people powered nonviolent social movements (NVSMs) that advance human rights, social justice, democracy, and inclusive development within a cohesive global social movement ecosystem. Reporting to the COP of the USAID Powered by the People activity, the Communications Manager will use a conflict-sensitive and inclusive approach to design and lead a marketing and public awareness and outreach strategy in collaboration with key partners. The CM will oversee and produce all communications tasks including press releases, programmatic updates, and all related internal and external materials, where and when it is safe to do so. This will include both internal communications about this initiative and how it aligns with the PartnersGlobal mission and external communications for the project including developing marketing materials, maintaining social media accounts, storytelling to reflect outputs, lessons learned, and impact. The CM will also drive branding and outreach plans, where appropriate and deemed “safe” by project consortium partners around the world.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Specific responsibilities of the Communications Manager include but are not limited to:

Branding and Marketing

• Collaborate with other teams to identify the public voice of the PartnersGlobal and PxP and Partners Network brands.
• Update style guides and brand voice outlines for all public relations, marketing, advertising, and other vital needs.
• Consult with executive management to develop effective communication procedures and policies for various situations or crises.
• Draft press releases, blogs, speeches, presentations describing organizational activities.
• Communicate with media outlets and journalists / develop press kits and media database.

Internal Communications and Knowledge Sharing

• Seek ways to improve organization’s internal communication channels through software programs / enhancing communications protocols.
• Support organizational goals to develop localized lexicon of terminology to be used in all organizational materials.
• Develop materials to educate staff on communication practices.
• Perform communications research and monitor the progress of various communications strategies.
• Provide guidance and editing to support others in creating stories of impact.

Storytelling & Copywriting

• Write/co-author both short and long-form pieces for PartnersGlobal’s website, email, and social media for the purposes of elevating the activities, raising funds, and advancing organizational mission.
• In close collaboration with MEL Director and Program Directors, capture and document key learning, and evidence-based stories demonstrating Partners’ impact, that are tailored for use with different audiences, and in diverse fora.
• Generate ideas for new stories and knowledge products (g., case studies, good practice guidance etc.) based on data, and innovative opportunities for dissemination.
• Support MEL Director to use activity data in a way that creatively contributes to telling compelling stories to diverse audiences in a context and culturally sensitive manner.
• Coordinate technical inputs from stakeholders, partners, and experts as appropriate in the development of the above-mentioned.
• Support project team members’ participation in meetings, workshops, conferences including through the development of briefings, and other resources as required.
• Support Partners’ learning events at regional and global levels, as well as ongoing learning opportunities harnessing digital platforms.

Other Tasks

• Prepare, maintain, and update files (electronic and paper) and internal communications and marketing databases.
• Design and generate periodic and ad hoc reports, statistical tables, graphic content, and other background materials/notes for reporting and internal learning.
• Optimize PartnersGlobal website and email marketing tools with minor HTML coding.
• Design and edit images (via Photoshop or other image editing software) to post on social media and Partners
• Other duties as assigned by supervisors.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience

• 3-5 years of experience in communications and marketing, or a related field.
• Candidates with 5 years of direct communications experience on USAID or donor-funded projects preferred.
• Knowledge of the organization’s mission and program areas strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of and experience using conflict sensitivity and do-no-harm principles.
• Demonstrated experience using storytelling for MEL, communications and reporting.
• Familiarity with peacebuilding and democracy promotion agencies and implementors.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and interest in international development and related fields; Experience and understanding of U.S. Government (particularly USAID) communications and marketing procedures strongly preferred.
• Proven experience developing and implementing communications strategies through a variety of means, such as traditional, print, digital, and social media.
• Creative and technical skills within graphic design, video-making and/or photography (e.g. Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator).

Core Competencies

• Exceptional communication abilities, including writing, speaking and active listening.
• In-depth knowledge of best writing and messaging practices for business correspondence in the international development sector, public relations, advertising, marketing and social media.
• Professional understanding of crisis management and crisis communications.
• Ability to effectively engage with team members at all levels and across departments.
• Excellent project management skills, including time management, goal-setting, multitasking and prioritization.
• Excellent oral and writing skills with ability to express complex ideas clearly.
• Ability to analyze, organize, problem-solve, manage, and prioritize work.
• Demonstrated knowledge and competency in one or more of PartnersGlobal**’**s program areas (e.g., peacebuilding, organizational development, conflict resolution, civil society, etc.
• Ability to maintain confidential information in an appropriate manner is essential, as is an ability to use judgment in the wording and inclusion of pertinent and sensitive information.
• Leadership abilities, including training and mentorship.
• Proven team player with the skills and ability to contribute positively to and learn from colleagues.

Education and Language

• BA/BS in Communications, Public Relations, International Relations, or a similar field from an accredited college or university required; MA preferred, but not required.
• Full professional fluency in written and spoken English. Fluency in additional languages including French, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, or Slavic languages a plus.

Other Requirements

• Legal status to work in the U.S. is required; and
• Global travel and scheduling flexibility required.

PartnersGlobal is an EEO Employer

At PartnersGlobal, we have a clear vision: to be the place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come, to stay and do their best work. Diversity is more than a commitment at PartnersGlobal—it is the foundation of what we do. We are fully focused on equality and believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin and all the other fascinating characteristics that make us different. As an equal opportunity employer, PartnersGlobal recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, political affiliations or belief, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please contact our Director of Human Resources & Talent Management, Edith Kardouni, at [email protected] for assistance. We welcome the opportunity to discuss accommodation of your disability and ensure fairness in our hiring process.